New Virginia Driver’s License

Security Features
May 11, 2009

PRESENTED TO THE

Virginia State Crime Commission

BY

Donald L. Boswell, Ph.D.

Director of Law Enforcement Services
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
 Overview
Driver’s license card technology
• Card construction
• Production equipment
• Security features
New Virginia driver’s license
• Implementation
• Design features
• Security features
• Temporary driving permit
• Sample card types
Discussion, questions & answers
Card Technology - Construction
Current driver’s licenses
• Poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) material
• Dye sublimation personal data printing
• Adhesive vinyl security overlay
• Laminated construction

New driver’s licenses

• Polycarbonate (PC) material
• Laser engraved personal data
• Security printed graphic designs
• Monolithic construction
Card Technology - Construction
Current driver’s license
Dye Sublimation Variable
Data printing
Clear
PVC Protective Overlay
Pre-printing

Opaque
PVC

Clear
PVC
Card Technology - Construction
New driver’s license
Laser Beam
Tactile Laser Clear
Engraving Polycarbonate

Opaque
Polycarbonate

Clear Polycarbonate

Security Printing
 Card Technology - Production
Current driver’s licenses
• Over-the-counter (OTC) issue
• Printers at every DMV office
• Card materials at every DMV office
• No after-hours onsite security

New driver’s licenses

• Driver’s license central issue (DLCI)
• Card blank production at manufacturer
• Card personalization at production center
• 24 hour armed security onsite
Card Technology - Production
Current driver’s license
Home printers and laminators
from $75 to $250

Laminating desktop printers

from $750 to $2,000

Commercial laminating printers

from $5,000 to $10,000
Card Technology - Production
New driver’s license
Card security printing,
card sheet fusion and
card blank production
are done in a secure
Canadian Banknote
manufacturing facility
in Canada that prints
Canadian currency
Card Technology - Production
New driver’s license
Card security printing and
laminating equipment are
only available to legitimate
manufacturers and require
substantial investment
Card Technology - Production
New driver’s license
Card personalization is done
on high tech laser engraving
equipment at a new secure
production facility in Danville
 Card Technology - Security
Current driver’s licenses
• Security overlay with reflective design
• Microprint border with deliberate error
• 1D and 2D barcodes with personal data
 Card Technology - Security
New driver’s licenses
• Security printed graphic designs
• Tactile black and clear laser engraving
• Laser engraved grayscale primary photo
• Microprinting with deliberate errors
• Variable wave printing feature
• Clear window secondary photo
• Ultraviolet (UV) security printed design
• Redundant personal data
• Personal data on card front and back
• 2D barcode with personal data
• 1D barcode individual card serial number
Card Technology - Security
Security features applied at manufacturing
in the Canadian manufacturing plant
 Card Technology - Security
Security features applied at personalization
at the Danville production facility
 New Virginia Driver’s License
DMV started issuing the new secure driver’s
licenses and identification cards in March 2009.
The clear window photo is the most distinctive
feature. Virginia is the third deployment of this
worldwide. Northwest Territories, Canada, was
first in 2006 and Sweden was second in 2007.
These new secure cards will be mailed to
applicants’ home addresses instead of handed
to them over the counter at the DMV office.
Applicants will receive a temporary paper
driving permit receipt to use with their old
license or ID until they receive the new card.
 New Card Design Features
Polycarbonate card construction features:
• Currency grade security printing on internal
layers during manufacture of card blanks
• Multiple layers are fused into solid body that
cannot be delaminated
• Clear window secondary photo
Laser engraved personalization features:
• Black printing burned into card body
• Grayscale photos burned into card body
• Tactile raised black engraving
• Tactile raised clear engraving
 New Card Design Features
New card design and format changes:
• Underage dates are printed in black
• Organ donor heart is printed in black
• No red R for court restrictions
• No printed residence jurisdiction
• Smaller printing on card back for class,
restrictions and endorsements
• Printed “Unable to sign” for signature when
person cannot sign name
• Paper temporary driving permit receipt will
be used until real DL is received by mail
 New Card Design Features
Underage card design features:
• Vertical card format like current cards
• Unique dogwood flower design instead of
Capitol design used for all over 21 cards
• UNDER 21 printed in card banner
• UNDER 21 printed on card back
• Bracketed UNDER 18 UNTIL date
• Bracketed UNDER 21 UNTIL date
• Tactile raised engraving date of birth
• All dates grouped across card bottom